1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capillary electrophoresis system, sample analyzing system and sample cassette, and more particularly to a capillary electrophoresis system suitable to be connected to a sample analyzing system such as a mass spectrometer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A capillary electrophoresis system having fine passages defined in a fused-silica wafer is well known in the art as described in xe2x80x9cAnalytical Chemistryxe2x80x9d, vol. 65, pp. 2637-2642 (1993).
Passages cited in this paper are constituted of an inlet passage for introducing liquid sample and a passage for electrophoresis that is perpendicularly defined to the inlet passage. The size of cross-section of these passages may be approximately 12 micrometers in depth, 50 micrometers in width, and 30 millimeters in length.
At the ends of passages, electrodes are provided. All of the passages are filled with buffer solution first and liquid sample is injected at one end of the sample inlet passage. Thereafter the liquid sample is introduced into the passage by applying a voltage at the level of approximately few kilovolts between the electrodes placed at the both ends of sample inlet passages, whereby the introduction of liquid sample into the passage for electrophoresis completes. By applying a voltage of approximately few kilovolts to the electrodes placed at the both ends of the passages for electrophoresis the liquid sample introduced to the passage is separated by the electrophoresis phenomenon. The time required for the separation is approximately 10 seconds.
The capillary electrophoresis system of the Prior Art as have been described above has an advantage that it can separate one sample in a relatively short time. However, such a system needs to perform a cleaning procedure of the electrophoresis passages or to replace the fused-silica wafer with a new one. As a result, in order to perform a series of specimens sequentially, a considerable labor and time are required.
In addition, the capillary electrophoresis system of the Prior Art as have been described above may need to introduce the liquid sample directly onto the wafer. Since the sample inlet on the wafer is very fine and there are electrodes to which a high voltage is applied, the introduction of sample requires the operator to perform a complex work.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a capillary electrophoresis system and a sample analyzing system capable of analyzing a plurality of samples in a relatively short time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a capillary electrophoresis system, which facilitates to clean the passages and has passages for repetitive use.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a capillary electrophoresis system and a sample cassette for electrophoresis capable to carry a sample loaded therein.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, this invention comprises a capillary electrophoresis system, having a wafery part having passages to flow liquid sample; and a body having a configuration so as to move the wafery part to setting in a relative manner. The body includes first and second electrodes for applying a voltage across both ends of passages of the wafery part to separate the sample solution and first and second buffer reservoirs conductive to the passages of the wafery part at a specific position for filling buffer solution around the first and second electrodes.
In addition, the present invention provides a capillary electrophoresis system, comprising: a cartridge-typewafery part including a plurality of passages, a body having a buffer reservoir conductive to the passages of wafery part, for maintaining the wafery part in a removable and setting configuration.
In addition, in accordance with the present invention, during analysis, liquid sample will be loaded into the plurality of passages provided on the cartridge-type watery part, then the wafery part is attached to the capillary electrophoresis system, then the liquid sample will be electrophoretically separated by relatively moving the wafery part having the liquid sample loaded with the capillary electrophoresis system to performing a separation of several kinds of materials in the liquid sample into bands.
As a result, separation of each sample, or separation for obtaining an electrophoresis migration time pattern of a single sample may be completed in a shorter time. Consequently a complex operation for introducing samples will be eliminated.
In addition, the present invention provides a liquid sample cassette for use in an electrophoresis separation comprising a wafery part (wafer-shaped part) having passages filled with a solution, attached to a removable holder.
In addition, the present invention provides a sample analyzing system comprising a capillary electrophoresis system and an analyzer. The capillary electrophoresis system includes a wafery part having passages for flowing a solution, a body having a structure for relatively moving the wafery part in setting by maintaining the wafery part in a removable configuration. The body further comprises: first and second electrodes for applying a voltage across the passage in the wafery part to perform an electrophoresis separation to extract the solution through an end; and first and second buffer solution reservoir conductive to the solution in the passages in the wafery part at a specific position for filling buffer solution on and around both the first and second electrodes. The analyzer optically detects the solution having electrophoresis separation performed by the capillary electrophoresis system to analyze.
In addition, the present invention provides a sample analyzing system comprising a capillary electrophores is system, an ion source, and a mass spectrometer. The capillary electrophoresis system includes a wafery part having passages for flowing a liquid solution, and a body having a structure suitable for maintaining the wafery part in a removable configuration and for relatively moving the wafery part in a setting configuration. The body includes first and second electrodes for applying a voltage across both ends of passages of the wafery part to extract a solution from one end by electrophoresis separation, and first and second buffer reservoirs conductive to the solution in the wafery part at a specific position, for filling buffer solution on and around the first and second electrodes. The ion source is connected to one of buffer reservoirs in the capillary electrophoresis system to ionize the solution flowing through the wafery part into gaseous ions. The mass spectrometry performs mass analyses of the ions produced by the ion source.
The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention more fully appear from following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.